Come on out dancing, because most of the colleges are back in session, and we should be celebrating the return of many dancers from Penn, Delaware, and TCNJ (amongst others) this week and next week. Of course, we have the last week of Stuart and Kerry’s series, and a beginner lesson as always.
I (Jesse) will probably be DJing, and we might even have a new ‘good idea/bad idea’ skit for you, so watch out! See you out dancing!
well, holy crap! We’ve got none other than the stupendous Solomon Douglas teaching a blues workshop for you guys on Wed, Sept. 3rd. As usual, it’ll be at Studio 34 in West Philly at 45th and Baltimore.
This workshop will be an advanced-beginner/intermediate blues workshop. Please sign up ahead of time at our registration page: http://www.lab.socializr.com/event/114605162. If you register by Sept 2nd, the price is only $15; however, the at-the-door price will be $20. Please pay for the workshop at LaB on Tuesday or contact Jesse at the email above for other payment options.
As Stuart and Kerry teach the third week of their August beginner Lindy series, Jon and Carsie will treat the drop-in students to a sampler helping of both Lindy and blues. DJs TBA will spin delectable selections from bygone eras, while Jesse and Cheryl ricochet around the studio gettin’ their dance on. Don’t miss this week’s Public Service Announcement, it’s a doozie.
http://www.lindyandblues.com/events/2008/bluesmuse/registration.php
Make sure to follow the link to pay after you register, or your place will not be held!
We’re excited to be starting our next series tonight: Stuart and Kerry will be teaching everything you need to know about Lindy Hop! If you’ve been dancing blues for a while and need to make a breakthrough in your Lindy, this is the class for you. If you’ve never danced before and want Lindy to be your introduction, this is the class for you. If you’ve been dancing Lindy for a while, but are looking to improve or update your style or technique, this is also the class for you!
Make it easier for us at the door and give us your name an email address ahead of time. To do this, just sign up at our registration page: www.socializr.com/event/555603383
Besides that, we’ll have a beginner class as always taught tonight by Jesse. Typically, we start out with a half hour of blues and transition into Lindy, but it often changes depending on the participants. Just try to be there at 8.
Tonight we’ll also be joined again by the LAB House Blues Band! Bring a few bucks extra to tip these guys, they are awesome.
This is the LAST WEEK of Jon & Carsie’s intermediate blues series (this class on LIFTS and DIPS!) which means that if you’ve come to ALL 5 classes (and we mostly have your names), then we’ll be giving you $5 BACK. Other than that, Stuart will have returned from his great european adventure and is teaching the beginner lesson, Jesse’s ditched you all for Massachusetts and is frying on a Cape Cod beach, and Alex Moretsky will be DJing his heart out and is really excited about it.
See you out dancing!
Week number four for Jon & Carsie’s Blues Series… except Carsie won’t be there. Instead, Kerri will be taking the reigns for this class. Jesse & Cheryl will hold down the beginner class, Stuart’s bustin’ swedish heads, and we’ve got Father Mike back to DJ this week.
See you dancin’!
This week we’ve got the third class in Jon & Carsie’s intermediate blues series. Jesse & Cheryl’ll be teaching the beginner class, and we have another exciting public service announcement!
See you out dancing!
Carl Nelson & Joanna Lucero are extremely talented dancers hailing from Montreal and Rochester respectively. Carl is now in NYC and Joanna is soon off to Atlanta, so finding them in Philadelphia is definitely a treat. These guys are teaching a workshop for us on Wednesday July 16th from 8-10PM at Studio 34. If you register by Tuesday, July 15th, the workshop will just be $10, and $15 if you pay at the door on the day of the event.
In order to register, visit our sign up page:
http://lab.socializr.com/event/375440343.
Read more for a bio on Carl. Read the rest of this entry »
Fantastic news, labbers. An incredible group of blues dancers and instructors has elected to host the world’s first all-blues follower-centric workshop weekend right here in Philadelphia.
Save the date and book your travel!
Philly Lindy and Blues is proud to present the world’s first follow-created blues weekend:
The Blues Muse Workshop
Inspiring expression, receptivity, and creative partnership.
Philadelphia, PA
October 3-5
Four of the best blues instructors on the East Coast, each has struck a unique balance between creative expression and responsive following. The Blues Muses are:
Megan Adair, Knoxville, TN
Heather Adams, Knoxville, TN
Carsie Blanton, Philadelphia, PA
Mike (the Girl) Legett, Atlanta, GA
These ladies are posting a call, challenging followers to step outside their previous limits: to explore the music and movement, and bring their leaders with them. To the leaders, the Blues Muses would like to give the tools of receptivity, without sacrificing their position as leaders; the Muses want leaders to be able to enjoy and encourage the expression of followers, to create a more interactive dance.
The weekend will feature two full days of classes. Some will be on partnership, some will be on solo movement. Many classes will have a particular focus on followers, but there will also be classes specifically for the leaders. There will also be a special discount for leaders, so stay tuned for more information!
We’ve got the second week in Jon & Carsie’s intermediate blues series, and a beginner class with Jesse & Kerry. Greg Avakian will be back to DJ again tonight, and the rest is moot.
see you out dancing!
You’ve danced with them, you’ve heard them teach, you’ve seen them dance together… now learn the concepts, techniques and moves that make Jon and Carsie’s style of blues so extra-special.
Every Tuesday in July, Jon and Carsie will be teaching a blues series for intermediate dancers. In this 5-week class (plus 2 Sunday workshops), they’ll cover:
1) Connection Perfection: How to transform your closed and open position blues from so-so to oh-so-fantastic
2) Really Cool Moves: A new move each week to illustrate concepts from the lesson in a way that looks and feels fantastic
3) Blues Musicality: Tips for both partners to translate what you hear in the music into a language that you and your partner can enjoy together
4) Balance and weight sharing: Simple dips and lifts to spice up any dance and meanwhile improve your balance
5) Blues etiquette: Tips to make your partner happier and more comfortable, on and off the dance floor
The series will cost $25 for the month, the same price you’d pay for five weeks of LAB dances (in other words, it’s free!). Series includes five Tuesday night classes (At Take the Lead (4701 Pine St.), July 1st-29th, 8-9pm), and two Sunday afternoon workshops (At Jon and Carsie’s House (2822 Poplar St. 1F), July 6th and 20th, 2-6pm).
Series is for intermediate blues dancers. That means people who feel comfortable dancing BLUES (not Lindy or six-count) to a whole song, on the social floor (to different songs, with different partners). Ideally, you’ve have been dancing blues for at least a few months, and you’ve taken at least a few blues lessons. If you’re not sure if you qualify for this class, please ask Jon or Carsie. Be warned: they may ask you to dance!
Top 5 reasons to be there:
1) LIVE BLUES MUSIC with LAB’s house band, Carol and Garry
2) OUTSTANDING intermediate lesson with Jesse and Kerry
3) FANTASTIC beginner lesson with Stuart and Carsie
4) Your chance to sign up for Carsie and Jon’s INCREDIBLE (intermediate!!!) July Blues Series
5) Father Mike’s DJing, the mirror ball, the tiny plastic cups, Jerry’s glow sticks, and the usual cast of characters.
See you there….
We have some exciting guest teachers this week: Ben Grunwald & Sandra Mazlagic. These two dance mavens are multiple year veterans of UPenn’s West Philly Swingers. They’re great dancers and we’re quite excited to have them teaching at LaB for the first time. They plan on teaching their intermediate class on using followers momentum through some cool moves and are like pop turns but much cooler (that’s my interpretation not theirs).
Jesse & Carsie will teach the beginner lesson, DJ Emilion takes the music position for the night along with Carsie, Kerry’s grandma is famouser than you know, stuart’s awesomer than you know, cheryl’s is paintier than you know, and jon… heh, well, jon is jon.
See you dancin’
Mike & Emily are goofy, fun, innovative, and amazing dancers from New York City. They’ve worked with the West Philly Swingers from UPenn, and are highly respected around the dance community. They’ll be teaching a workshop on June 18th from 8PM-10PM at Studio 34. The workshop will be $10 if you pre-register, and $15 if you pay at the door on the day of the event.
To register for the workshop, please visit our sign up page:
http://www.lab.socializr.com/event/351124732
Read more for their bio and class descriptions (NEW!).
Read the rest of this entry »
WHEW! What a weekend. Keep your dance fix going by coming out to LaB! We’ve got you covered tonight. Stuart & Jesse will be continuing their review of Kevin & Sharon’s class, Jon & Kerry have the basics class covered, and Stuart will be DJing.
See you tonight!
Philly Lindy Love is just around the corner! You’d better tune up your dancing. We’ve got the perfect solution for you: Stuart, Jesse, & Cheryl will do a review class of some of the concepts we learned from Kevin & Sharon this past weekend. That means if you took the course, this’ll be a great time to solidify the skills they introduced, and if you were lame and missed out this weekend, you’ll get make up for it in small part. Topics we’ll cover include syncopations, putting stretch into your swing-out, and charleston swing-outs.
Of course, we always have a beginner lesson. This week, Jon & Kerry will enchant you with amazing foundations. Alex Moretsky will be DJing his sweet sweet tunes, and then we’ll be psyched for PLL this weekend!
Registration is now closed. For those hoping to pay at the door for the whole workshop or single classes, there are about 15-20 spots available if all the registered participants show up. At the door registrants will be allowed in on a first come, first serve basis. We will attempt to enforce a lead/follow balance in the classes.
The class schedule is as follows:
Class 1 @ 11:00AM
Class 2 @ 12:20PM
lunch break
Class 3 @ 2:20PM
Class 4 @ 3:40PM
All 4 classes are still $60. Individual classes will be $18/class.
The classes are being held on the second floor of the Ethical Society: 1906 Rittenhouse Sq, 19103.
Kick it witcha’ in class.
The venerable institution that is Jerry Segal has his birthday this week. In classic fashion, He’s the one who’s bringing presents: Jerry says, “Come hungry to LaB,” and boy are we excited!
Stuart’s finishing up his Charleston class this week, we always have a beginner lesson, and a mix of the house DJs to boot.
This’ll be short and sweet: Stuart blasts off with the second week of his Charleston Class, Jesse & Carsie will teach the beginner class, Father Mike will the DJing the first hour, and Greg promises to not cut another song short for the second hour.
See you out tonight!